Zach's Death
by Daysi5
Summary: Zach's dying and Cammie doesn't know what to do. She tries to save him but he dies. There's more to it, but if I say it, it'll ruin the whole thing. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Where will you go?

A/N::: Alright, this idea popped in my head, and was inspired by How To Save A Life- The Fray. So, read and review, and, if you really want to get into it, listen to New Divide by Linkin Park during the fighting, and Never Say Never by The Fray. :D

Disclaimer::: I do not own the Gallagher Series.

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"Zach!" He's dying. He's dying, and I can't do anything because of these damn binds. I squirmed, trying to loosen the thick rope. He's bleeding, coughing up blood. And yet he's still protecting me from them. Another shot goes off. He grunts and falls on one knee, but still held his useless gun.

"Zach!!" I throw myself forward but the wooden chair weighs me down. My vision blurs_. A miracle, _I thought. _We need a miracle._

_"It was pure luck, I'm telling you! If she would've jumped off at least one degree off she would've died!" I pounded the table. He just chuckled and shook his head. "What?" Why is he laughing?_

_"Cammie, Cammie, Cammie," he said. I glared. "In our world, luck is a luxury we can hardly afford. Skills. That's what helped Rebecca survive. Superman isn't gonna swoop you off your feet and save you. If you want luck, you gotta earn it. Or else; you die."_

_So I'll earn my luck._ I threw myself again harder, and transferring my weight to my feet. Using my momentum, I picked myself up and slammed the chair against the metal cold wall. It cracked, and I was free.

Quick as lightning, I pulled out a dagger from my thigh sheath and threw it at the gunman before he even saw it.

"Get her!" The other three man started coming at me, but I was too fast. I pulled out three thin needles that held my hair up and threw it at their throat. They simultaneously slumped to the ground, but I was already beside Zach.

"Hold on just a bit longer Zach. Just hold on." It hurt my very existence to look at him. His face was bruised; his shoulder, stomach and leg bleeding. All because of me. "I'm sorry Zach. I didn't think-"

"Cammie…" he reached out a bloody hand and I took it in mine. "Don't be… too hard… on yourself." Tears threatened to fall. Instead, I squeezed his hand reassuringly_. I have to help._

Immediately, I ripped off a torn piece of my dress and wrapped his leg. I checked his pulse; slow but stable. I tore a piece of his polyester pants off and wrapped his arm wound tightly. "Zach," I started, but his shaky fingers were unbuttoning his shirt. I quickly unbuttoned the rest, only to come to a bloody undershirt. I lifted it carefully and bit back a cry; the bullet hit his rib cage, which was making it difficult to breathe and move for him. I wrapped it with his torn sleeve and quickly covered it. I then pressed a button on my ruby "necklace."

"Bookworm. Bookworm, you there?" I was met with silence. "BOOKWORM!"

"It's Wise Tech now." Came the quiet reply.

"Whatever. Look, I need back up now and medics stat. I have a 419." I glanced at Zach, wondering if he'd be able to make it. _Of course he will._

Telling her the situation must have sobered her up, because the sound of nimble fingers hitting a keyboard filled the tiny room (you'd have to be trained to hear it). "How many?"

"One." Zach started to cough up blood, and I bit my lip.

"Type of serious injury?" there was murmuring in the background.

"Multiple gunshot wounds."

"Areas?"

"Leg, shoulder, torso."

"Your location?" the murmuring was now yelling.

"Basement of the Chelry Hotel."

"We'll be there ASAP." There was a static-y sound.

"Hurry." My voice was hoarse, and my body was still sore from the chair stunt. But I ignored it as Zach's eyes fluttered.

"Your arm…" he muttered, his breathing slow and ragged. I glanced at my shoulder, and sure enough, there was a good sized piece of wood sticking out, leading a trail of blood. I bit my lip and winced as I pulled it out and threw it. I took deep breaths, and when he said, "I don't think… I'll make it…" it was much worse than pulling out a big splinter out of my arm.

"Don't say that. You… you can't leave me. Not now." I felt a tear roll down my cheek unwillingly.

"I'm sorry Cammie… I can't… can't do it…" He coughed hard and gasped, pain etched in his face.

I cradled his head in my lap and caressed his face. "N-nonsense, Zachary." I wiped away the rolling tears and forced a pained smile. "We wrapped your wounds. You're gonna make it. Don't give up. Remember the others? Our d-dream together?" he smiled up at me sadly and slowly raised our entwined hands to his lips, kissing my knuckles. I fought back a sob.

"We've already started…" I let a sob escape my lips_. H-how did he k-know? _ He looked up at me like he'd never seen me before. His eyes gleamed and he smiled weakly. "Like the sun itself… Beautiful." Fresh tears escaped my eyes and I let out another sob.

"I'm so s-sorry Zach. If only I k-knew… if I knew they were t-this g-good… I would have n-never accepted the m-mission." I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth, trying to stop the sobs, but failed. Zach was going to die, and it was inevitable.

"The mission… was successful, right?" His voice held hope; hope that his last mission was successful.

I nodded, unable to speak. He closed his eyes, and a rush of footsteps over head filled the small cell. Hope filled me.

"I can't… I can't hold on much longer Cammie." He gasped for air.

"Y-yes you can. They're almost h-here. You're a Blackthorne boy, r-remember?" The thought of us younger brought a small heartbreaking smile to his face.

"I remember… Gallagher Girl…" his chest rose slowly as he started giving in, his body tired of fighting.

"I love you Cammie… Always have…" He opened his eyes, and they showed emotions that only I've witnessed. My vision blurred.

"I love you too, Zach," I whispered.

"Don't give up… Cammie… I will… be your guardian…" His eyes fluttered, and I feared it was the end. But he gave my hand a light reassuring squeeze. _He's fighting for his last words._

"D-don't go! I need you! T-they're almost here Zach, just h-hold on!" He smiled weakly.

"Goodbye Cammie…" He sucked in his last couple of breaths. My sobs and pleas of "Don't go!" filled the tiny space. I held both of his hands, our foreheads touching, telling him to hold on. His ragged breaths stopped, and I looked up, scared he was gone.

"I love you, Cameron." His chest dropped for the last time, and his hands went limp. I leaned my head against his chest; his heart beat one last time slowly, and stopped. And that's when the realization came crashing down.

"ZACH!!!" My scream echoed, and it was like someone muted all the noise. Everything was dead silent to me as I sobbed uncontrollably, thinking over and over _He's gone. He's dead. And it's all my fault._ I didn't hear them when they entered. But they did, and Liz was with them, pulling me away, trying to whisper things to me, but I cupped my face, shaking my head. _He's gone. Zach's dead. And it's all my fault._

And then, it was like every sound came back to me, twice as strong. I heard the medics voice as he yelled "Clear!" and used the defibrillator on Zach's lifeless body. I heard Liz's soothing voice in my ear, but couldn't make out the words. _Zach's dead. And it's all my fault.'_

And then I caught what Liz kept repeating. "It's not your fault, Cammie." This one phrase, five simple words, made me fall to my knees and cry my heart out. I can take anyone's blow but Death's. I'll take a bullet to the chest. I'll take a blow from a guy. Anyone's but Death's.

I let myself fall forward, my forehead stinging as it touched the cold floor. I kept banging the floor with my good arm, screaming "Why!" I heard the defibrillator come to a stop and more yelling, but the world was on mute again. He's gone. Zach's dead, and it's all my fault.

Liz was beside me, and kept whispering something in my ear. But I couldn't hear anything, as I felt my body slipping away, my mind not believing what happened. I felt my eyes flutter, and I realized I was now laying on the floor, the cold seeping into my skin. My tears made _plop_ noises as it made contact with the floor. I felt as the shadows tried dragging me down, felt the earth tremble beneath me. But my focus was on Liz. Her lips. She was saying something.

"…make it" was all I caught, and for the tiniest second, I thought she said Zach was going to make it. But before I could do anything, the dark enclosed me, trapping me, and everything gave away to darkness.

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A/N::: Alright, so did it make you cry or scoff at my lame attempt? Good? Bad? TELL ME IN YOUR REVIEWS!!! :D And tell me if I should make this a Two-shot.

Oh, and by the way, this'll be one of my last updates in a while, 'cause I'm going on away for 2 weeks, and won't have access to computers (let alone internet ._.)

Yours truly,

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	2. Chapter 2

Zach's Death

A/N::: WHAT'S UP PEEPS!! I'M BACK! *gets hit in the face with tomato* that's the welcome back I get!? *dodges another tomato* shit man… sorry I took so long, jeez. And I thank everyone who reviewed!!!!!!! Thanks!!! Here's the two shot you've all been dying for! =P so, enjoy! R&R!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer::: I don't own the Gallagher Girls series :'(

Cammie P.O.V.

0500 hours

"She'll be fine, Liz. She's a Gallagher Girl," said a confident voice.

"I know, but still. The gash on her arm was deeper that it looked. She lost a lot of blood."

"You're forgetting, this is the famous Chameleon. She can't die on us."

"But-"

"Liz." The voices faded.

2100 hours

"She's still not up?" it was another voice, this one masculine and worried.

"No. They don't know when she'll be up. They said she lost a lot of blood and her body was already suffering from starvation and hypothermia. But that doesn't sound like my squirt. I think she was overwhelmed by Zach's… condition." Silence fell like a think wool blanket.

"She'll be alright, Abby. She's a Morgan."

"Yeah, I… I guess you're right…"

1700 hours

The first thing I heard was the beeping. The steady pace of my heart, and blood pressure echoing throughout the room. "Look, look! Her finger twitched!" A shrill voice said, accompanied by a chair toppling over.

"Calm down, Liz. It could have been just a muscle. Or your seeing things." The voice held doubt, and another chair scooting back and shuffling feet proved it.

My eyes fluttered open, and I shut them tight against the bright fluorescent light. I moaned painfully. The beeping goes a little faster.

"See, see! I told you Rebecca!" The voice was louder and closer, and I felt two shadows looming over me, blocking out the brightness.

"Cammie? Cammie, are you up? Get the bloody hell up!" I mentally winced at Bexs' loud voice. It felt like a verbal whip.

"I'm up." My mouth was starch dry. My voice was hoarse. My tongue and lips felt heavy, as if coated with sand, and worked to form those two words. My body ached, especially my right upper arm. My back felt like a big bruise. A big bruise that covered every inch of my back. But it could have been worse. I could've been dead_. Dead like Zach._ The machines started beeping like crazy as my heart thumped loudly in my chest.

My eyes, which felt droopy and heavy, snapped open. "Where's Zach?" I tried to sit up, but it was a mistake. Pain shoots down my arm to my finger tips. I bit back a cry as I used my other arm to sit up. I tried looking hard at Liz, but she stared back with puzzled eyes. "Where's Zach?" I tried to repeat, but all that came out was the "Where" and the rest came out in a squeak. I stared at Bex. She knew. She knew what I was trying to say. But they both ignored me.

"You poor thing." Tired or not, a surge of anger filled me at Liz's sympathy. She picked up a white styrofoam cup and held it to my lips.

I was about to refuse, but thought better of it. I took a big sip and savored the cool liquid. I swallowed and cleared my aching throat. I managed to stare at Liz hard.

"Where's Zach." I knew I sounded rough, but they needed to know how badly I needed to know.

"The doctors said they didn't know when you'd regain consciousness." Bex pulled up her chair to my side, carefully avoiding my gaze as well.

"You've been out for three days, Cammie," I looked at Liz as she pulled up her chair and brought it closer. Her eyes were gleaming with unshed tears, but when she saw me looking, she quickly looked down, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear. "We were worried about you. We thought you wouldn't…"

"Ever wake up," Bex finished for her. She stared back, her gaze defiant.

"You guys haven't answered my question." My voice was exasperated as I shifted my gaze back forth between them. "Where. Is. My. Husband." Liz's head snapped up, her eyes wide and Bexs' eyebrows shot up. I nodded mutely and stared down at my hands. "Yeah. He proposed to me when the mission started. I couldn't wear the ring since I was a "single one-woman machine" with my business and all. I was just a good friend of Jeremy Jackson." I felt tears well up in my eyes. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Cam, that's…" Liz started.

"Great. Congrats, Cammie." I looked at Bex.

"Where is he?" I was pleading. I needed to know so badly, I would kill if I needed to. Bexs' eyes clouded for a fraction of a second, but she pressed her lips tightly, her eyes twice as bright.

"Zach's in the CIAs ICU." It was Liz who spoke. She was fiddling with her hair. "He was dead. But the revived him." She smiled faintly, but it vanished quickly as she said: "Only one gunshot was fatal. They haven't stabilized him yet. That's all I know. Joe Solomon knows more." The mention of my Aunt Abby's boyfriend brought back memories. Memories that could wait.

"So… he's alive?" Unwillingly, tears streaked down my cheeks.

"For now." Those words were like a stab.

"He's going to make it though, right? He's Zach. He can't… he can't die on me. Not now," I whispered, rubbing my hand over my stomach subconsciously. I wiped away the tears furiously, looking at Liz. "He's going to make it, right?" my voice was whispery, still. She looked down.

"I don't know," she whispered. I looked at Bex, but she shook her head. I looked down at my hands. My vision blurred by the unwanted tears. _Zach might not make it. He might not make it._ I heard Liz gasp as a tear fell on the white sheets, and Bex took a sharp intake through her nose. Probably at my weakness.

I clenched my fists. _Gallagher Girls don't cry._

"Hello ladies." My head snapped up at the new voice. I blinked away the tears to see clearly, and to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Joe Solomon in the flesh at the foot of my bed. My lips tried to form words I couldn't say. "Glad to see my former students alive and conscious." At this, I felt his eyes flicker at me. "Ms. Sutton? Aren't you supposed to be at NASA creating the latest spacecraft?" Liz's mouth worked, trying to form words. His gaze fell on Bex. "Ms. Baxter? I heard you were on a mission in Brazil?" a flash of irritation flashed across Bexs' face. And then he looked at me. "Ms. Morgan. Injured on your latest mission, I see." I suddenly felt small as he looked at the foot of my bed. But I saw the slightest hint of a smile. "Fortunately, it was successful and we have Verricker in custody." Liz made a point of clearing her throat. His gaze rested on me for a second longer before he looked at Liz. "Ms. Sutton?"

"They owed me some time off, so I took advantage of it to visit my good ole friends." Liz smiled brightly.

"And I," Bex said, making all heads turn to her. She savored the moment before she spoke. "I finished up early and have a two week time period before my next mission." She smiled triumphantly. Solomon just stared, and started laughing. I cracked a smile.

"Alright, alright," he said. "It's good to see you ladies as well." He glanced at Bex and Liz. "Ms. Sutton, Ms. Baxter. If you don't mind, I have to speak to Cammie in private." Liz opened her mouth to protest, but I stopped her.

"You guys," I said as they looked at me. "I have to know." They stared at me for a long moment. They finally nodded and got up to leave. Bex stopped at the doorway.

"We're gonna go grab lunch. Be back in 20?" she looked at Solomon, who smiled.

"Plenty of time." Bex nodded curtly, and closed the door behind her. I felt my body tense, ready for the worse. The air felt thick with tension. Until he spoke.

"You're looking better than before." He smiled crookedly.

"I have a feeling this'll be a while. Sit." I motioned to the chair Liz sat in moments ago. He shook his head.

"How're you feeling?" I felt my eyes blur, as I looked at this man. He knew how it was all going to end. Or begin.

"Is he really going to be okay?" My voice came out barely above a whisper.

"Answer my question first, Cameron." He was expressionless. I quickly wiped away the tears, using my knuckles. I pressed them into my eyes, forcing myself to calm down.

"I feel like hell. My back's sore. My arm's numb. I have a killer headache, and I hate myself for letting what happened happen." The last part came out angry, and I sucked in several shaky breaths.

"It's not your fault, Cammie. None of it was," was his quiet response.

"It is!" I removed my hands and let my eyes adjust painfully to the bright lights. "If I hadn't hit the damn trip wire, they wouldn't have caught us. I could've distracted the guards a moment longer so Zach could've gotten away! I should've been by his side! I could've saved him!" my outburst echoed throughout the whole room, and I used my good hand to shield my shameful tears. After the tears stopped falling, he spoke.

"Don't dwell on what didn't occur. Shoulda. Coulda. Woulda. You should've done a lot of things differently. You probably could have, and would have done it differently. But telling yourself, torturing yourself with what should have, could have and would have been isn't going to change anything." I looked up at him, the man who I once believed was the greatest spy teacher. "Stop torturing yourself with the possibilities. Because it'll throw you on the wrong path, and you might not find your way back." He gazed down at his hands which trembled slightly. And then I understood.

"My father," I whispered. He nodded and clenched his fists but didn't offer anything. But I didn't let the silence get us again.

"Zach." At this, he looked up, a semi-dazed look on his face. "He's alright, isn't he? He's going to make it?" I sounded hopeful but was dreading the worse.

Until a ghost of a smile flashed across his face. "Zach, they stabilized him. He's going to make it." I let relief and happiness overcame me as I fell back against the pillows, ignoring the jolt of pain. The tears slid down as I felt a great weight being lifted off my shoulders_. He's alive._ I cried at how close I was to losing him. I laughed at how he cheated death and survived. I cried for his injuries. I laughed at mine. My hands fell to my stomach as I said, "I didn't kill him," and smiling like an idiot.

"Well, he better hope I don't," Solomon muttered. I looked up, only to see him staring at my stomach. He saw me looking at him. "I'll kill him for hurting you." I laughed. He smiled, and I doubt he meant it. I hoped.

A/N::: Good? Bad? Tell me in your reviews!!!!!! Thanks for reading!!

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